SCA 1965, Olympic National Park
Former SCA Board Member, Financial Executive (ret.) | Seattle, WA
Since its founding in 1957, SCA has been a springboard for more than 70,000 young participants to initially embrace, and later perpetuate, a set of caring environmental values. Many of these participants continue promoting these values over a lifetime. Charley Dickey, who first served with SCA in 1965, is an alum who has continued his service long past the end of his first crew.
Charley Dickey began his path with SCA as a high school volunteer serving at Olympic National Park in 1965. Almost fifty years later, Mr. Dickey served as a longstanding member of SCA’s Board of Directors, chairing SCA’s Board Development Committee and co-Chairing SCA’s $25 million campaign to expand its reach and restructure the delivery of its programs.
As part of the campaign, Dickey committed to fund the largest gift he has ever granted to any organization. “Our generation has exacted a toll on our natural resources and treasures,” says Dickey. “SCA is an avenue to give back.” As a reflection of his lifelong passion for conservation, Dickey has continued to visit current SCA crews in the field, meeting the young leaders whom he calls “SCA’s most valuable assets.” After a recent trip to visit a crew in Seattle, Dickey shared the two photos below, revealing the obvious differences between his crew then and a typical urban crew today.
“Yes, much has changed!” Dickey admits. “[But] the mission of evolving conservation leaders through ‘hands on service to the land’ is identical. For me, this has been a a lifelong passion, and one that I’m happy to continue to share.” He urges others who are passionate about preserving the sanctity of our natural treasures to consider giving: “Ask yourselves, ‘Do I fervently hope that the next generation values the natural world as much as I do?’ If the answer is yes, then join me in supporting SCA.”